One of the first things new clients ask us is how successful we are at getting planning approvals.
Other new clients can sometimes come to us because they have been clever enough to check out the planning permission success rates of architects, and architectural consultants in Milton Keynes themselves. When they do, they can see that our success rate is pretty good and probably better than the competition.
One of our new clients had really done their homework – they told us that over the past 7 years, 96% of our domestic clients who have instructed us to apply for planning permission received planning approval. Yes, 96%! Even we were astonished when we found out. You may be forgiven for thinking that we must only take on the easy projects, or that all of our projects are hidden away in back gardens, but no. We design quite a few front extensions for instance, and in some cases, other practices have tried and failed to obtain planning permission before us.
So what’s the secret?
Quite honestly, we do not know. It is not because Milton Keynes council are a pushover as they can be as picky as the next council, but we think it is partially because we put our schemes together with care.
Occasionally, we tell clients that what they are asking for is likely to be controversial and we try to steer them towards something more acceptable, we are pleased to say that in most cases they listen. Most clients are reasonable, and so usually with a little compromise, we can successfully guide them through the process. It is important to us that what we do looks good, whether it is a back extension, a side extension, a side extension, a front extension or a dormer window. Basically, a bit of care with the design clearly pays off.
Written by Tony Keller – Building Tectonics Ltd.